"Everyone was really respectful, aware of the fact that I was 18," Cruz said of her scenes in Jamón Jamón.

Penelope Cruz walks the red carpet ahead of the Loving Pablo screening during the 74th Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on 6 September 2017 in Venice, ItalyGetty

Actress Penelope Cruz graced the cover of Esquire Magazine's November issue, looking stunning as ever. The Oscar-winning actress left little to the imagination as she showed off her curves by posing in nothing but a velvet blue drape.

In another shot, the 43-year-old is seen lying on a bed in a black bodysuit, her bottom in the air as she rests one foot on top of the other to create a sexy shape on the sheets.

For another shot, she is seen lying down next to a table with a vase full of flowers in front of her. Wearing a white lace bodysuit, she glances sultrily at the camera.

Cruz, who plays dour evangelist Pilar Estravados in the forthcoming adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1934 novel Murder On The Orient Express, also opened up about stripping off when she was just 18 years old in her 1992 comedy drama Jamón Jamón.

Asked if the nude scenes had put her off acting, she told the magazine, "I thought, there is a character there, there is a style, the material is really good."

The Spanish actress continued, "Of course I was not looking forward to those scenes but I did it. Everyone was really respectful, aware of the fact that I was 18.

"I remember the last day of filming, I was crying, saying, "What if I never shoot a movie again? The feeling was devastating."

Cruz' interview appears in the November issue of Esquire, which goes on sale on 17 October.

Penelope — who won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona — is also promoting her current film Loving Pablo, in which she co-stars alongside her husband Javier Bardem.